With 'a lot of confidence,' USC Trojans open Lincoln Riley era with easy win over Rice Owls

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The grand opening of the Lincoln Riley era at USC began with a new logo on his familiar visor and plenty of fireworks on the field from new and old faces alike. USC scored the most points in a game since 2008 thanks to a clinical offensive debut by quarterback Caleb Williams and three interceptions returned for touchdowns by the USC defense as they trounced Rice 66-14 in the Trojans' season opener.

«We understand this is just the beginning and there's so much left, so much better to play, so much better to coach,» Riley said. «It's a great start; it's not anything more than that, not anything less than that.»

Even if Riley didn't want to inflate the result, it couldn't have gone much better than it did. USC finished with 538 total yards, 27 first downs, and a single punt that came with 12:21 left in the fourth quarter just after Williams and a host of starters on offense had exited.

«I think we have a lot of confidence,» Williams, who transferred from Oklahoma after Riley was hired, said. «And we didn't just build that confidence coming out here being excited for the first game.»

Of any new player, Williams had the most anticipation heading into the opener, but watching him play, it was difficult to see any semblance of pressure or expectations affecting him. Williams was comfortable in a pocket that allowed him to take his time and complete 19 of his 22 pass attempts (best for a USC quarterback since Matt Barkley in 2012) including passes to 12 different receivers as well as two touchdowns to the other highly-touted transfer the Trojans snagged this offseason: Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison.

«Since he got here, it was almost as if we've been throwing to each other for the past year,» Williams